Anyone know of a mod to keep the fog lights in the mode I left them (on or off) when I last turned the car off? It drives me nuts to have to turn them on every freakin' time I start the car.

 

+1

 

I am wondering why have them on all the time?
In OR if I could get a citation if fogs (front or back) are on when not really needed. The fogs and aux lights must be operated as if they were high beams - turned off when approaching other cars etc. If they stayed on I would probably forget and leave them on next time I or my wife drove the car....

 

I agree with klricks, you should not be leaving your fogs (front or rear) on all the time, they should only be used in appropriate weather conditions... there's a reason all BMWs (and all VW's i have ever been in) don't have a 'always-on' type of switch, fog light use is strictly taught and enforced in Europe... leaving them on all the time will just lump you in with all the GM drivers out there :D

 

I haven't seen anything like this for the 2nd gen. If there's demand, FES Auto can probably program their circuit to do it. In the 1st gen, there was a version of Ian Cull's windows auto-up circuit that can always turn on the fog lights.

On a side note, the fog lights only turn on if you have headlights and/or running lights on. Do you like having all those lights on all the time?

 

The beams of the the fog lights (not the huge bumper mounted options, but the small ones mounted low, under the bumper in the air dam) don't aim at oncoming traffic at all. In fact, maybe I'm calling them the wrong thing, as they're really driving lights. They aim at an area 10-40 feet in front of the car at the pavement. I live in an area with very few streetlights and a ton of varmints that like to kamikaze into the path of my car. I've avoided hitting them on at least five occasions with my fog lights on, and one time I didn't have them on, I hit a skunk and my entire car smelled for a couple months after that. They're not just for foggy weather. And I'm not sure where you live and what your laws are, but where I live, as long as you have your headlights on you can have fog lights on too. No citations. Every other car I've owned that came with fog lights allowed you to leave them on until you decided to turn them off.

 

As the OP lives in California, here is a short synopsis of the laws there.

1. No more than two Fog Lamps
2. Fog Lamps Can be on with either low or high beams
3. Fog lamps can not be used in substitution of head lights when head lights are required.
4. No more than two Auxiliary lamps (fog lamps are not considered aux lamps)
5. Aux lamps can only be used when High Beams are ON, Not to be used when low beams are on.

All of this and more can be found here: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/tocd12c2a2.htm

 

You're good, schatzy!

 

As to your original question. Check with FES Auto as they have modules that set the DSC or Sport Button to the last remembered (car turned off) setting.

Not sure but one of those may actually do what you are looking for.

I am thinking this is the module though that might work.

http://www.fes-auto.com/products_det...p?productid=24

 

That's what I was referring to back in post #5. However the current product is programmed to simulate pressing DSC or Sport Button. It would have to be modified to simulate pressing the fog toggle. It is probably a simple software modification for them but it isn't set up to work that way out of the box in the product currently being shipped.

 

Thanks, schatzy and rkw!

 

If they are aimed forward, they are aimed at oncoming traffic. Just as annoying when coming up from behind. imo, very annoying for other drivers (ranks up there as one of my pet peeves).

 

Maybe they aim them differently in NC, but I've never had a problem with fog lights (in a Mini or otherwise), as long as they're under the bottom of the bumper. Low beams are much more bright and annoying than fog lights, and high beams are a whole different animal. We're gonna have to agree to disagree.

Long and short, I care much more about running over squirrels, skunks, racoons, cats, etc. than I do about annoying other drivers. Fog lights illuminate that 10-40 feet in front of my car so I have a good chance of evasive action. Luckily for you, it looks like there's no way to keep them on, so I'm just gonna have to keep turning them on manually; but I will continue to turn them on manually, unless you want to subsidize the repairs to my air dam and deodorizing my car.

 

Ask Matt (Dr Obnxs) at FES. If it's a simple software change on their circuit, he might be willing to create a modified version.

 

Really? REALLY?

My fogs are aimed so low (like most MINI fogs) that they literally only extend about 30 feet in front of the car - and mostly to the sides. Which is the point of fogs - no glare.

Now, for high beams and driving lights, I'm right there with you... turn those dang things off unless you're alone on the road. But fogs... nah...

 

For my two cents, the fogs are low enough that I can't imagine they would bother other drivers. Around here I worry more about deer than other drivers, anyway. In the last month, I've had two incidents of deer trying to attack my mini Having the fogs on by default helped me see them sooner by having more light towards the side of the road, and to brake faster.

 

If I aim a flashlight at your feet, you think that's the equivalent of aiming it at your eyes?

Just because you can see a light doesn't mean it's aimed at you.

 

you could easily easily relay them to the parking lights if you want....then possibly use the switch to turn them off if needed

ive done the relay trick on a couple cars...hard parts finding the which wires, where. BUT since they are right next to each other the on w parking lights would be a very simple mod, but then the switch would be useless

and i doubt youd ever ever be pulled over for them being on anytime. MAYBE, if they are those bright bright yellow bulbs that are very noticeable, but stock?...no way

 

The brits seem particularly obsessive about fog light use and the potential to "dazzle." No idea why. I've asked and all I ever get as an answer is dazzle. Dazzling response, really.

 

Well, I agree with the others who have said they are annoying as hell, and they are supposed to be used in poor visibility conditions only.

If you can't see what's 10 ft in front of your car at city speeds, maybe your headlights aren't aimed right? More than likely tho, you're simply outdriving them.

The design of a fog light is such that it's aimed under where fog sits, a few feet off the ground - they are not aimed directly at the road in front of the car. They are NOT "driving lights", and they are not to be used as supplemental lighting.

Turn the damn things off unless it's foggy, raining hard or snowing....

 

DS is the authority :D
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...fog_lamps.html

 

Thanks, rkw. I emailed him yesterday and he said they don't have anything yet, but it's something they're looking at.

 

And just because you think they are aimed low or mounted low on the bumper or only light up the road up to 30-40 feet in front you, it doesn't mean they aren't just as bright as the low beams to oncoming traffic.

 

I haven't claimed otherwise. You said:

Between these two posts, it seems as though you are using brightness and direction interchangeably. Though they both relate to the discussion, they are two different conditions.

 

You posed a question about a flashlight being aimed at my feet. To me that implies a light source that is aimed down at something like 45 degrees or more from a horizontal plane. If fog lights were aimed down at that angle, they probably wouldn't be an annoyance. But they wouldn't really serve any purpose either. They are aimed facing forward. Maybe not as high up as say the low beams. But the variance from zero degrees horizontal is not much. Not enough to overcome the brightness of the lights themselves.

If you aim the flashlight at my chin instead of my eyes, it is probably going to be seen as just as bright.

Keep in mind that koitus made the original claim that the fog lights don't aim at oncoming traffic at all.(emphasis added) I don't agree with that. Lights that are aimed to illuminate the road in front of you are by their very nature aimed at oncoming traffic. Because oncoming traffic is in front of you.